SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Carlos Gonzalez emerged from the stairwell at Salt River Fields and sat down in a nearly empty clubhouse. As the Rockies' most magnetic personality pondered the question, the impli- cations dawned on him.

Are he and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki entering their final season together in a Rockies uniform?

CarGo and Tulo have not played the majority of a season together since 2011. They have not had a winning season since 2010. And despite five all-star berths, five Rawlings Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger awards, the possibility exists this is their final run because of their escalating salaries.

"I know, but I don't think it has to be that way," Gonzalez said. "You could clean the house and still keep your best players. You might get young players for us, but sometimes they never develop and that takes you further away from winning. I want to win. I think of Todd (Helton) with only two playoff berths and four World Series games in 17 years. That's depressing.

"I don't want to go through that. I believe we can win here, and that keeping us two together gives us the best chance."

Rockies owner Dick Monfort agrees with Gonzalez. Monfort insists that the franchise is prepared for an unprecedented run of meaningful games in September. Four to five years in a row. That will be harder to pull off, he said, without Tulo- witzki, ranked by every metric as baseball's top shortstop, and Gonzalez, an MVP-caliber outfielder and former batting champion.

"The goal is to keep those two guys for their whole careers. They are the (team's) best players," Monfort said last week. "There's a sense of urgency to win. But it's not just on those guys."

Gonzalez and Monfort are optimists. Tulowitzki, whose world doesn't include many shades of gray, is a realist. He is driven to help return the Rockies to the postseason after reaching it twice in his first three full big-league seasons. Tulo also knows that he and CarGo are occupying a large chunk of the player payroll — 28 percent of the projected $95 million this season — which might not make sense as a future business model if the team doesn't show it can win this way.

"I want to play my entire career with CarGo, but of course I think about how it might not happen. I thought it would be the case with (Matt) Holliday, and it didn't work out," Tulowitzki said. "I go back to Todd, who was such a great player and he didn't get to experience many winning seasons. I don't want to finish this year and be talking about how we are headed in the right direction. I want to win now. And if we don't win, then I would expect changes. That's just how the business works."

Cardinals came calling

The stars, who lockered next to each another in spring training this year for the first time, are at potential crossroads. CarGo and Tulo are in their prime. When they are on the field, the Rockies have an advantage at those positions. The Rockies have played at a .523 clip when CarGo and Tulo start (231-211) compared with .421 (155-213) when they don't, according to Stats Inc.

In theory, the idea of pairing them together, especially in the middle of the lineup, is brilliant. In practice, it has not proven as effective as desired because of injuries. Since 2009, CarGo's first season with the Rockies, he has played an average 121 games. Tulo, who missed most of 2012 because of a serious groin injury, has played an average of 118 games per season during that span.

Their talent is breathtaking. But would the Rockies be better off devoting team resources to fill needs by trading one of their injury-prone marquee players? The Rockies listened when the St. Louis Cardinals inquired about Tulo last fall — conversations that included pitcher Shelby Miller, among others — but weren't motivated to make a move.

(Click to enlarge)

"I am accountable to being on the field. And I am accountable to helping us win. That's on me. Whether we win or not determines whether I sleep well or not," Tulowitzki said. "I do everything to prepare and make sure I can stay out there and in the lineup. Injuries are frustrating to everyone. But I know I am doing everything to avoid them."

Remove science and statistics, and Gonzalez believes the pair is simply due a dose of good luck. Tulowitzki landed on the disabled list last June with a cracked rib suffered while diving for a groundball. "A fluke," he said. Gonzalez had only 37 at-bats in the second half last year because he kept injuring his right middle finger while swinging a bat. "I have learned from it," CarGo said.

Tulowitzki said he's never felt better about his swing in spring training, citing his balance and pitch recognition. Gonzalez has had no issues with his finger since changing to a thinner handle on his bat model and a slightly higher grip.

Watching them crush back-to-back RBI doubles off the San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain last Wednesday provided a reminder of their powerful impact. As new Root Sports analyst Ryan Spil- borghs, a former Rockies outfielder, said: "They are among those rare players who can win a game with their bat and glove."

"We need help too"

Why would the Rockies want to split them up? Two reasons: standings and finances. The Rockies haven't won more than 83 games since 2010. And in 2017, when the team's projected payroll is $114.5 million, Tulo and CarGo will make $37 million combined. Top-heavy budgets have not been a formula for making the playoffs.

Monfort, however, said there's elasticity, pointing to the boost the Rockies will receive in TV revenue next season and a potential bump from a winning season, which he plans on this year.

"We want to win with them and keep them together. It absolutely doesn't have to be a one or the other," Monfort said.

In the seasons the Rockies made the playoffs, they were balanced and had reliable pitching. The acquisitions of Brett Anderson, Boone Logan (when healthy) and LaTroy Hawkins upgraded the staff. The bench is deeper. And the Rockies believe young third baseman Nolan Arenado will have a breakout season. Will those factors prevent this season from being the last shared by Tulo and CarGo in a Rockies uniform?

"You have to think about it. It's out there. We understand that when we play well together, this team is way better. But we need help too," Gonzalez said. "It doesn't have to be our fault if we don't win. Winning a championship isn't about just two players. We have some help with great guys like Arenado, (Michael) Cuddyer, (Justin) Morneau and young guys who are continuing to grow. We have the right mentality to get it done this year.

" If it doesn't work, though, you don't have trade me or Tulo. Just keep getting better players around us."

Article Comments

We reserve the right to remove any comment that violates our ground rules, is spammy, NSFW, defamatory, rude, reckless to the community, etc.

We expect everyone to be respectful of other commenters. It's fine to have differences of opinion, but there's no need to act like a jerk.

Use your own words (don't copy and paste from elsewhere), be honest and don't pretend to be someone (or something) you're not.

Our commenting section is self-policing, so if you see a comment that violates our ground rules, flag it (mouse over to the far right of the commenter's name until you see the flag symbol and click that), then we'll review it.